French Island Generating Plant

French Island Generating Plant is a waste fired electrical power station located on French Island in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Unit 1 and 2 are boiler / steam turbine units originally constructed in the 1940s operating on coal. They were converted to burn oil in the early 1970s. When oil became too costly, alternative fuels were used. Unit 2 was converted to burn waste wood in an Atmospheric Fluidized Bed Combustion Boiler in the early 1980s with unit 1 following in 1987.

French Island Generating Plant
Country	United States
Location	French Island, Wisconsin
Coordinates	43°49′45″N 91°15′34″W
Status	Operational
Commission date	1941
Owner	Xcel Energy
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Refuse derived fuel, Wood fuel
Power generation
Nameplate capacity	228 MW

RDF

The two boiler units also burn Refuse derived fuel (RDF) diverting solid waste from the municipal landfill. The facility normally burns 50/50 mix of RDF and wood waste. The result of burning RDF is the release of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds into the air. Excessive dioxin releases have forced the shutdown of the boilers as recently as October 2007.^[1]

Units

Unit	Capacity	Commissioning	Notes
1	14.3 MW	1940	Built for coal, converted to oil then to an Atmospheric Fluidized Bed Combustion Boiler in 1987
2	14 MW	1948	Built for coal, converted to oil then to an Atmospheric Fluidized Bed Combustion Boiler in 1981
3	100 MW (#2 fuel oil)	1974	Westinghouse Model 501B2 Simple Cycle Combustion Turbine
4	100 MW (#2 fuel oil)	1974	Westinghouse Model 501B2 Simple Cycle Combustion Turbine

See also

• List of power stations in Wisconsin